War on Weather

The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, or "Hurricane Hunters," is an Air Force Reserve unit assigned to the 403rd Wing, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. The unit provides meteorological data to the National Hurricane Center in Miami to improve their forecasts. While the squadron is aligned under AFRC, weather reconnaissance taskings originate at the NHC, which falls, not under the Department of Defense, but the Department of Commerce. (U.S. Air Force graphic)